2012 a year of celebration as Nestle marks its 100th year in Malaysia

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NEXT year will be a year-long celebration of good food and good life for Nestle (M) Bhd as the company celebrates its 100th anniversary in Malaysia.

Its managing director Peter R. Vogt said the 100th year milestone marked the company’s extraordinary journey and legacy in the last century.

“We will continue with our commitment to provide healthy and nutritious food as it is beneficial to society. We are proud to have sustained this for the last 100 years, and be part of the country’s growth and development,” Vogt said in his speech at Carcosa Seri Negara, Taman Tasik Perdana, Kuala Lumpur recently.

In conjunction with the celebration, the food and beverage giant has come up with a theme “100 years by your side”.

Winning logo: Nestle (Malaysia) chairman Tan Sri Anwar Jamalullail (left) and Vogt looking at the ‘100 tahun Nestle di sisimu’ logo designed by Nazrah (centre).

“The theme was chosen because we have been at the side of Malay­sians for the past century and we hope this will go on for the next 100 years and beyond,” said Vogt.

The year-long celebration will commence with a high profile event launch in March, followed by the Nestle 100 Years exhibition at the National Museum and production of a coffee-table book.

“We will embark on the ‘Healthy Lifestyle Programme’ in 100 boarding schools and 100,000 Nestle Nutritious Meal Boxes as part of the company’s creating shared value (CSV) initiatives.

“We also want Malaysians to share their inspiring stories with us on how Nestle has captured their hearts,” Vogt said, adding that Nestle would focus on environmental and rural development issues as well.

Perfect cup of coffee: Guests trying the new coffee machine ‘Dolce Gusto’ at Carcosa Seri Negara recently.

CSV, he said, was not all about conducting business, but creating value for society and this was a pertinent aspect of Nestle’s business strategy.

Vogt said the main key driver included consumer business, continuous innovation and renovation, and values and principles that society uphold.

“The Rileaf Project in the Kinabatangan region in Sabah, launched a few weeks ago, where we pledged to plant more than 100,000 trees along the Kinabatangan river next year is our effort to reforest and rehabilitate the river and environment,” he said, adding that contests and product pro­­­motions were among other activities planned for consumers next year.

The event also saw the unveiling of Nestle’s new logo, which is the theme for its centenary anniversary.

The logo was designed by Nestle employee Nazrah Ahmad, who participated in a competition held only for Nestle employees.